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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — the cause
  2. net — in sport
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. chair — a leader
  5. root — of a word
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. toast — bread
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. net — after costs
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. cell — a phone
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. cell — in biology
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. lean — thin
  21. net — for catching
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. root — of a plant
  24. lean — to bend

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com